Who Made You King of Anything?
by alli1
Summary: Tag to "Secrets"  9.15  Tony confronts Gibbs about setting him up with Wendy. Obviously contains spoilers, so skip this one if you haven't seen it yet-or if you saw the episode and loved it.


A/N: I watched "Secrets" the other night and was frankly appalled by how Gibbs manipulated Tony into facing Wendy again. Everyone on the team seemed to think it was funny, and I know they made Tony seem to laugh it off when they showed his conversation with Ducky in autopsy, but somehow I don't think he'd really be okay with it. Then I happened to hear this song driving into work the next day and my mind started spinning. This is what I came up with.

Who Made you King of Anything?

Gibbs arrived at the Naval yard at 6:30, early even for him, but he was determined to catch his senior field agent before he made it into the office. He wanted to talk to Tony away from the ever- attentive eyes of the bull pen. Settling more comfortably with his coffee and paper, he watched the entrance to the parking garage for Tony's Mustang.

He had thought the younger man might stop by the night before, and had even picked up a six-pack of the Samuel Adams micro-brew the younger man liked, but it had remained untouched. He hoped that meant that maybe Tony and Wendy had managed to re-kindle something.

Going behind DiNozzo's back was uncharacteristic for him but he wanted to do whatever he could to help erase the sadness he saw in his senior field agent's eyes. Tony had been with him for more than 10 years and aside from his unfortunate relationship with Jeanne Benoit, in all that time, he had never really been involved with a woman for more than a few weeks.

His patience was rewarded when he saw Tony's car pull in just a short time later. He exited his own car and then watched as Tony grabbed his back pack and climbed out. The younger man looked startled when his boss appeared directly in front of him and Gibbs thought he noticed a flash of annoyance before Tony's mask dropped firmly in place.

"Didn't see you there, boss. Something up?" Tony asked coolly.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at the distinctly chilly tone. "Maybe I should be asking you that question."

Tony didn't reply. He merely hefted his backpack further onto his shoulder and headed for the garage entrance to NCIS.

"Tony, wait. I wanted to talk to you," Gibbs said, catching the younger man by the arm. He took a half step back when Tony gave him the same pointed glare he had received for a similar action just the day before. He let go, awkwardly acknowledging the silent reprimand.

"What is it?" Tony asked impatiently. "I really need to get these case notes written up while they're still fresh in my mind."

"I think your boss will wait a bit," Gibbs said with a grin, puzzled by Tony's obvious irritation.

"You don't know him like I do," Tony shot back without a trace of amusement.

Gibbs dropped all pretense. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Gee, I don't know," Tony said sarcastically, throwing down his back pack and turning to face Gibbs fully. "Guess I just had a bad night. Thanks to you," he added bitterly. He snatched his back pack up and headed once more for the door.

"Tony, stop." Gibbs demanded. At the last minute he added a 'please'. He was relieved that the younger man at least paused.

"Let's go somewhere and talk.'

about this. Work will keep and I could use a fresh cup of coffee."

"Talk? Who are you and what have you done with my boss? The Gibbs I know doesn't talk."

For a moment Tony's eyes looked so old and weary that Gibbs would have barely recognized them, but finally he shrugged.

"Why not? It's not like I was looking forward to facing McGee and Ziva anyway."

The two of them made their way out of the garage and down the sidewalk to the coffee shop not far away. Tony said nothing on the short walk, but Gibbs could feel the tension radiating off of him.

Once they had ordered, Gibbs steered them to a table in a quiet corner. Tony stared out the window at the passing traffic and played with the packets of sweetener, avoiding Gibbs' gaze.

Now that he had Tony as a captive audience, Gibbs found he didn't know where to start. He had hoped that Tony would have come in to work laughing; happy to have re-kindled something with his one time fiancée, but instead he looked broken and sad, and obviously blamed Gibbs.

"So, things didn't go well with Wendy?" Gibbs finally began, but winced when Tony's face went from blank to enraged in the blink of an eye.

"That's none of your business."

Gibbs was startled at the level of anger from the normally amiable DiNozzo, and found he was beginning to get a little irritated himself.

"Look, I'm sorry you crashed and burned with your old girlfriend, but I don't know why you're blaming me for that."

DiNozzo gave him a look of such pure disgust that Gibbs almost flinched.

"You don't know why I'm blaming you? Well, let's see," Tony began reciting reasons, raising a finger for each one he enumerated. "My boss of almost ten years, someone I thought had at least a grudging respect, if not fondness, for me, goes _behind my back_ to arrange for me to liaison with the person who broke my heart and destroyed my confidence with women for years; doesn't even bother to tell me himself, but lets Abby do it instead; makes me the butt of all of Ziva and McGee's jokes, and to top it all off, humiliates me in front of Director Vance—possibly my least favorite person in all of NCIS. Does that make it a little clearer for you?"

Gibbs had to keep himself from gaping when he heard Tony's bitter recitation of the facts. Yes, he had done some of those things, but not in the way the younger man imagined.

"Tony, you have to believe me, I didn't do this to hurt you!" he said, ignoring Tony's snort of disbelief. "I was actually trying to help," he finished sheepishly.

"Help?" Tony barked incredulously. "How exactly were you trying to help?"

Gibbs tried to gather his thoughts before speaking, not wanting to make things any worse.

"Tony, you've been my senior field agent and right hand man for years. I know how this job can eat you up and become your whole life. When I saw Wendy was associated with our case, and I remembered you mentioning her invitation to you at Christmas, I just thought it might be a way to get the two of you talking again."

"_You _thought?" Tony snarled, leaning across the table. "Did it ever occur to you to ask yourself what _I_ might have thought? What gave you the right to make decisions that affect me?"

"I was worried about you," Gibbs shot back, determined to make the younger man see that he had had only his best interests in mind. "I just didn't want you to end up alone, like me. You haven't been yourself lately."

Tony was too angry to be mollified. "According to Ducky, I've been in pain for years. And if you were really worried about me, why did you never try to talk to me about it? When things with Jeanne went so far south, you didn't offer me a shoulder to cry on. In fact, you did every thing you could to rub my face in it when we caught the Heidi Campisano case a few days later. That's not helping. I don't know what you'd call it. "

Gibbs silently acknowledged the truth in DiNozzo's statements. He had been so annoyed about Jenny's clandestine use of his senior field agent for her own personal vendetta that he'd let it blind him to how much Tony was hurt by the way things had blown up—literally.

"Tony, I'm sorry," he began, determined to ignore his own rules about apologizing, but Tony brushed it off with weary wave of his hand. He stared out the window, and when he spoke, his voice was sad and drained of anger.

"You know, Ducky has mentioned more than once how much I remind him of you when you were younger. He says he saw the same hurt in both of us. Well, tell me something Gibbs. How would you feel if someone had done something like this to you?"

Gibbs winced, thinking what his reaction might have been—and it wouldn't have been pretty. He would have kicked the ass of anyone who had tried to manipulate him that way, and he had a sudden burst of insight into exactly how betrayed Tony must be feeling.

Realizing that Tony was waiting for an answer, he finally, grudgingly, ground out, "I wouldn't like it."

Tony's sardonically raised eyebrow indicated he knew exactly how much of an understatement that was. "So, you admit you wouldn't like it, but you turn around and do it to me. I guess it's 'do as I say, not as I do', huh? Well, I've got news for you, boss. I don't need your advice or interference in my love life."

Gibbs knew any more apologizing or explaining would be wasted, so he said nothing. Tony stared at him for a moment and then shook his head and drained his coffee. Then he stood and scooped up his back pack, clearly indicating the conversation was over.

"So, what happens now?" Gibbs forced himself to ask.

Tony seemed puzzled by the question "Now? Now I go back to work, get my reports written, give Ziva a hard time about her English, give McGee a hard time about everything, solve cases, dodge Director Vance…you know, all the stuff I usually do."

"No, I mean are we okay, Tony?" he pressed.

"As good as we ever were, boss," came the prompt answer. Tony smiled when he said it, but Gibbs read the subtle meaning.

He followed the younger man out of the coffee shop, watching him saunter off towards work. He followed at a more leisurely pace, realizing he might as well pass the six pack of beer he'd bought to his yuppie neighbors next door.

Somehow he had the feeling that DiNozzo wouldn't be stopping by any time soon.

King of Anything, Sara Bareilles

Keep drinkin' coffee  
>Stare me down across the table<br>While I look outside

So many things I'd say if only I were able  
>But I just keep quiet<br>And count the cars that pass by

You've got opinions, man  
>We're all entitled to 'em<br>But I never asked

So let me thank you for time  
>And try to not waste any more of mine<br>Get out of here fast

I hate to break it to you babe  
>But I'm not drowning<br>There's no one here to save

Who cares if you disagree  
>You are not me<br>Who made you king of anything  
>So you dare tell me who to be<br>Who died  
>And made you king of anything<p>

You sound so innocent  
>All full of good intent<br>You swear you know best

But you expect me to  
>Jump up on board with you<br>Ride off into your delusional sunset

I'm not the one who's lost  
>With no direction oh<br>But you won't ever see

You're so busy makin' maps  
>With my name on them in all caps<br>You got the talkin' down just not the listening

And who cares if you disagree  
>You are not me<br>Who made you king of anything  
>So you dare tell me who to be<br>Who died  
>And made you king of anything<p>

All my life  
>I've tried<br>To make everybody happy while I  
>Just hurt<br>And hide  
>Waitin' for someone to tell me it's my turn<br>To decide

Who cares if you disagree  
>You are not me<br>Who made you king of anything  
>So you dare tell me who to be<br>Who died  
>And made you king of anything <p>


End file.
